The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-06
TWO DOLLARS A SECOND.
The Rate at Which the Public Debt is
Being Decreased

POLlB OOSI0dSCa.
Correspondence of the Missouri Republican.
Few persons, perhaps, who read the fire.
quently published reports of the fiscal opera
tons of the government give any considera-
ton to the vastness and significance of these
operations. We read of the hundreds of
millions of gold and silver in the treasury
at Washington, but how few persons have
any intelligent idea of what is embraced in
the nine figures required to describe liabili-
ties and assets of the government. dt is only
when the auriferous contents of the trea-
sury vaults are weighed and measured and
placed by the side of articles and commodi-
ties that are daily handled by the masses
be obtained by the people of the financial
strength of the treasury and the
great extent of governments fiscal oper-
atoms.
By reference to the latest published state
ment of treasury assets and liabilities il is
learned that among the assets was 1891 ,096,
All in gold and nearly $3.50, 000, 900 in silver,
including $34 900 of trade dollars and
fractional coin. Taking up this S2S1 ,000, 900
of gold and placing it on scales find that
the gold held by the treasury weighed SIS
tons, and if packed into ordinary carts, one
ton to each cart, it would make procession
two miles long, allowing twenty feet of
space for the movement of each horse and
cart. The weighing of the silver produces
much more interesting results. Running
this over the scales | find its weight to be
1895 tons. Measuring it in carts, as in the
case of the gold, the silver now held bv the
treasury would require the services of 1896
horses and carts to transport it, and would
make procession over twenty-one miles in
length.
The surplus about which so much is said
in the daily newspapers amounts to nearly
$47, 900, 900, an increase of 5000, 900 since
July /. Counted as gold this surplus would
weigh S615 tons. Counted as silver it would
weigh l,3S5 tons. Each million of gold
adds !, 6S5 pounds to the surplus and each
million of silver adds 81, $50 pounds. Apply
ing cubic measurement to the treasury gold
and silver and piling the two metals on
Pennsylvania avenue as cord-wood is piled
before delivery to the purchaser, the gold
would measure 81 cords and the silver 400
cords, and both would extend from the
treasury department to Four-and-a-half
street, or from the treasury TO the pension
Office in a straight line, and forming a
solid wall eight feet high and four feet
broad.
Extending these calculations and Compare
sons to the interest-bearing debt equally in
teresting results are obtained The public
debt reached the highest point in August,
lS65-just twenty-five years ago-when il
was 1881 $50, 295. The general reader will
better appreciate the vastneSs of this sum
when informed that it represents 20, los tons
of silver, which would make a procession of
carts that would exted from Richmand Va
to point twelve miles north OF Philadel-
phia, the distance il would thus cover being
266 miles. The interest bearing debt is now
mot including the Pacific railroad bonds
$l,00l ,916,SJ0, showing that the
sum paid has been $1,379, 55S. So,
or more than half Of the total
amount, and representing 0.637
tons of silver dollars, which would extend
154 miles if packed in carts containing ton
each.
Reducing these figures TO a basis where
they may be intelligently comprehended,
and that the rapidity with which the gov
eminent has reduced its bonded debt may
he fully realized by the general reader, /
find that the reduction has been at the aver
age rate Of S62, 106, 675 each year, So. ~. Jsl
each month, $l74, 1856 each day, $7,25s each
hour, and 1920 A for every minute of the
entire - years.
Pursuing the calculation to the smallest
divisible space of time, the bonded debt of
the United States has been decreased at
the rate of 81 "a for every second. or for
every swing of the pendulum, for the en-
tire period from Aug. 81, 1865, 10 July 81,
1887.
This is an exhibition of recuperation and
material progress that is without parallel in
the worlds history.